


If I Could Fly

by crescentmoonshine



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Actor Harry, Babygate (One Direction), Hospitalization, Hospitalized Louis, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-04
Updated: 2016-08-05
Packaged: 2018-07-29 05:55:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 12,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7672666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crescentmoonshine/pseuds/crescentmoonshine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis is supposed to be in LA. But somehow Harry finds himself standing over an unconscious Louis in a hospital in Urk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this a couple weeks ago and decided to post today since it takes place on around Lottie's birthday. Happy birthday Lottie!

**HARRY**

 

I've never simultaneously cared more or less in my life.

My heart dropped into the pit of my stomach when Liam showed up on the Dunkirk set. He was supposed to be on his way to Australia for holiday right now. He'd been talking about it for weeks. He was planning to propose to Cheryl. He wouldn't have cancelled that for anything. But here he was.

His brow furrowed as I made my way over to him and those damn puppy dog eyes filled with tears. "What happened?" I demanded, already stripping myself of the life vest strapped round my neck.

"It's Louis." I froze, heat surging through my body at the sound of his name. His name in that choked, desperate voice. "He's not okay."

I don't remember how I got to the hospital. I don't remember changing into jeans and a t-shirt. I don't remember whether I took an elevator or sprinted up eight flights of stairs. I don't remember anything until I burst through a door, into a crowded waiting room and was immediately shoved round a corner.

"You can't be here." Simon hissed, glancing over his shoulder to make sure we were relatively alone.

"The hell I can't." I growled, shoving past him and quickly finding Liam at the nurses station asking for information.

"I'm sorry, only family at this time." she was saying, shaking her head in apology.

"Please, I'm his husband." I pled.

I heard a muttered curse and a collective gasp from the crowded room, but I had never in my life cared less. The only thing I could think was  _Louis_. And I had never cared about anything more.

 

The man in the bed didn't even look like my Louis. He was still and cold and pale. My Louis never stopped moving. Even asleep, he wiggled and rolled and kicked, burrowing into my chest and tugging at my hair. He was perpetually warm, kicking the blankets into a bunch at the bottom, forcing me to cuddle into him for warmth. And my Louis blushed. He smirked and winked and licked his lips until I gave him that heated look he couldn't resist. The one that said Wait until we're alone. And then he blushed. From his chest up to his feathery hairline, he blushed crimson and it was the most beautiful thing in the world.

This wasn't my Louis. But it was. And that was what terrified me.

"Lou..." I breathed, sinking into the chair beside him. I reached for his hand and let out a hard breath when his fingers curled around mine. I'd waited so long for this moment. To feel his touch. Smell his cologne. Just to be in the same room as him. Hell, I'd have settled for the same continent. And here we were, finally together, but the circumstances were all wrong. "I need to you wake up, love. I need to see those beautiful blue eyes. I need to hear you tell me you love me, Lou."

My vision blurred and I felt tears drop from my jaw, but I couldn't drag my eyes from my love. He looked so fragile. I pressed my lips to the 28 tattooed across his knuckles and took in a shaking breath.

"You can't leave me, Lou. Not when we're finally together."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis is having a hard time coping with separation and publicity stunts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Louis' texts are in italics, Harry's are bold.

**LOUIS**

 

It was another staged photo op. Another day with another baby that wasn't mine. Where were they finding these children? What kind of parent agrees to something like this? Accepting money in return for allowing their infant to be photographed by paparazzi? It's sick. The whole thing.

If I had my way, the whole world would know the truth. I wouldn't be banished to Los Angeles right now while my husband was gallivanting round Europe. Okay, he wasn't gallivanting round Europe. He was filming a movie. But this was huge! I wanted to be there to support him. I wanted to cheer him on from the sidelines like he'd done for me at every football game over the last four years. If I had my way, everything would be different.

I handed the baby carrier back to the beaming woman on the side and rounded the car without another word. I needed to get away. These pictures would buy me at least a few days. I could probably swing a whole week if I posted an Instagram from home later this week. I had that picture I sent Haz yesterday morning. I could post that in a few days...

Liam was leaving for Australia tomorrow, Niall was participating in a golf tourney in London this weekend. But in all honesty, they weren't the ones I was dying to see at the moment. It was Lottie's birthday tomorrow and I figured a surprise visit from her favorite big brother was just the ticket.

I went home and packed a bag, taking a couple selfies by the pool before calling a car to take me to the Burbank airport where I paid for a private jet to fly me to London. Simon would be livid when he found out, but I didn't care. I needed to do something for myself. For once.

Before taking off, I opened up my instagram app and posted a selfie I'd taken before I left. Those pap pictures would be leaking tomorrow and my fans deserved a warning.

  
I landed in London around 1pm and breathed in the cool, rainy atmosphere. It had been way too long since I'd been home. I climbed into the car that met me on the tarmac and dialed my sisters number.

"I thought you'd forgotten all about me!" She answered with a laugh.

"You realize it's only three am in LA. don't you?"

"Well by birthday's halfway gone over here!" she retorted with some of that Tommo sass. I'd taught her so well.

"Happy birthday, Lotts." I beamed.

"Thanks." I could hear her smile across the line. "It's good to hear your voice. We've missed you."

"I know. I'm sorry. What are you doing today?"

"I've been out with a couple of friends for lunch just now, and then we're going to head back to my flat for a movie night."

"You're having a movie night for your eighteenth birthday?" I laughed, gesturing for the driver to head out to her flat.

"It's Thursday! We're going to go out to a pub this weekend, don't worry."

"Don't worry until this weekend, you mean." I laughed.

"I'll be safe. I promise."

"Alright. Well have fun."

"Thanks, Lou."

We hung up and I leaned against the window hoping to get in a quick nap before I arrived, with no such luck. Traffic was helpfully scarce and my driver pulled up in front of Lottie's building in just twenty minutes. I pulled my hood up over my head and grabbed my bag from the seat beside me before jogging up the stairs, nodding to the doorman, and making my way up to Lottie's flat on the fourth floor. I knocked a couple of times, and when I didn't get an answer, let myself in with my key.

I hadn't been to her flat since she moved in last winter, but she'd definitely settled in since then. The large white sofa in the middle of the room beckoned and I sank into it with a sigh.

The next thing I knew I was being crushed, wrapped in a hug from a squealing child.

"You need to chill." I complained, even as I wrapped my arms round my sister.

"You're here! There is no chill!" she screeched. "Why didn't you tell me when you called?"

"Wouldn't have been a surprise then, would it?" I laughed, sitting up and shoving her off me to the side.

"How long are you here for?" she pushed her hair out of her face and whined when I flipped it back into her eyes.

"I thought I'd stay and join your movie night tonight? Then I think I'm going to try and sneak over and surprise Haz."

"Oh, Lou..." she suddenly looked very sad.

"What's wrong?"

"Hasn't he told you?" When I didn't give her an affirmative answer she continued with a wince. "He's completely surrounded. He had to move to a different hotel from the rest of the cast because the fans were mobbing everybody searching for him."

I let out a deep breath and sank back into the couch cushions. "Why wouldn't he tell me that?"

"Apparently they formed a giant H outside the cast hotel one night. It's kind of ridiculous. You won't be able to get within ten blocks of the place without being spotted."

"Honestly, Lotts, at his point I don't even care. I need to see him. I'm dying over here."

Her eyes shown with unshed tears and she squeezed my hand. "Let me cancel my movie night. Call mum and tell her to bring the kids down."

"It's your birthday." I argued. "Don't let me ruin it for you."

"Are you kidding?" she laughed. "I'd much rather hang out with you right now. I haven't seen you in months! Please. Call mum, I'll go call my friends."

I nodded and dug my phone out of my pocket as she hurried off to the kitchen.

"Louis!" my mum answered on the first ring, as usual. "Darling, how are you?"

"I'm alright, mum." I chuckled.

"No he's not!" Lottie called from across the room.

"Was that...?"

"Yeah. I'm in London. And... I'm not doing alright, really."

"Oh, sweetheart..." she sighed.

"I'm just homesick. And I miss you and the kids and Hazza and... I just needed to get away." I choked out.

"You ran off, didn't you?" Mum asked quietly.

"I've got a plan, mum. Don't worry about that. But in the mean time, Lottie and I would really love if you brought everybody down to see us for the night?"

"What time is it?"

I glanced at my watch. "Almost two."

"We'll be there by four thirty. We'll be on the next train. I'll text you when we're on our way."

She hung up before I had a chance to agree and I dropped my phone on the couch with a sigh.

"Are they coming?"

"Yeah, Lotts. They're on their way." I smiled.

She sank onto the couch beside me and I pulled her into a hug. "Thank you." I whispered against her hair.

  
Hiding out was nothing new. But waiting upstairs while Lottie ran down to greet my family at the front door was torture. I leaned against the wall beside the door and waited until I heard hurried footsteps rushing down the hall before throwing the door open, just in time to catch the twins as they barreled into my chest.

I inhaled the scent of too sweet One Direction perfume and closed my eyes as I squeezed them tighter. Another pair of arms wrapped round my neck and I opened my eyes to find Fizzy joining in the group hug in the doorway. I pressed a kiss to her cheek and looked up to smile at my mum who was trying to wrangle a squirming Doris.

"Let's get inside." she suggested with a wink.

The girls let me go and skipped past me through the open floor plan while mum paused to give me a piss on the cheek. I pinched Doris' cheek and tickled her tummy before slapping a loud kiss on her forehead, making her giggle before mum moved past and Lottie stepped up, passing me my main man.

"Hey Little Man!" I exclaimed, tossing him up in the air and catching him before squeezing him as tight as a toddler could take.

When the three of us joined the rest of the girls in the living room, Mum was already busy digging through the fridge.

"When's the last time either of you ate?" she asked over her shoulder.

"I had lunch, but I haven't fed Louis yet." Lottie replied.

"I'm starved." I admitted, setting Ernie on the floor and kicking round a little football. He chased after it on his wobbly two year old legs and laughed when I pulled the ball out of his reach. He'd be a hell of a player one day.

"When did you last go shopping?" Mum asked Lottie with a shake of her head.

"I planned on ordering out tonight, before everything." she answered with a shrug.

"If we only have Lou for one night, we aren't stuffing him with Pizza or Chinese." Mum insisted. "You know he hasn't had anything else since Harry's been gone."

The girls all laughed and I rolled my eyes.

"Make me a list and Fizz and I can run to the store." Lottie offered.

  
My chest felt lighter than it had in months. The girls were fighting over the remote and which TV show to watch, and the twins were crawling over my lap on the couch, jumping and laughing and mum had her arm round my shoulders. I hadn't felt more at home since Christmas, when I actually was home.

"The only thing missing is Harry." Mum murmured against my hair before pressing a kiss there.

I nodded. It was like she'd read my mind.

Doris plopped down on my lap and I grinned down at her, tugging at her curls and watching them bounce back when I released them.

"How are you doing, sweetheart?" Mum asked.

"I'm better, now that you're here." I admitted. "This is just what I needed. A night of chaos and rom-coms."

My phone vibrated in my pocket and I pulled it out.

_Morning, love. <3_

"He doesn't know you're here?" Mum asked, reading over my shoulder.

"I thought I'd try and surprise him tomorrow, but Lottie says the area is swamped with fans."

"So what will you do?"

"Honestly, I might go anyway. I don't care anymore. I just need to see him. Even if all I get is a hug and an hour watching him film before I get kicked off the set. I just need to see him with my own eyes. Touch him. Smell him. It's been too long."

"Could he meet you somewhere? Away from the crowds?"

"I don't know... I guess I'd better tell him I'm here, if I want to figure something out, yeah?"

"Better." she nodded.

"Come here." I held my phone out and took a selfie of the two of us with the twins on our laps and sent it to him with a message attached.

**Good evening, isn't it?**

My phone immediately began buzzing relentlessly.

_LOU!_

_TELL ME YOU'RE IN LONDON!_

_WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME!_

_HIIII FAMILYYYY!!!!!_

_HOW LONG ARE YOU HERE????_

_PLEASE LET ME SEE YOU LOVE!!!!_

**HARRY! CHILL!**

_YOU'RE IN LONDON! I HAVE NO CHILL!_

_FUCKKK HOLD ON I NEED TO CALLYOU I NEED TO GE TAWAYY_

I gave it a few minutes and before long his face was lugging up my screen.

"Hi." I answered with a grin.

"LOU!"

"HARRY!"

"You're in London!"

"I am." I chuckled.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming for Lottie's birthday? I would have met you there!"

"I didn't know I was, until I was on the plane, really." I sighed.

"The pap thing?" he asked more quietly.

"Yeah. Just needed to get away."

"How long for? Can I see you?"

"That was definitely part of the plan, yes." I smiled. "I think I can buy myself a week if I post some old pictures on Instagram. I have a meeting scheduled with Danielle Saturday night, though."

A "date" with Danielle. We were supposed to go to a club.

"I heard there's a stomach flu going round." Harry grinned across the line.

"I thought I was feeling a bit under the weather." I laughed.

"Fuck, I miss you." He sighed.

"I miss you too. What's your schedule like this week? Tomorrow?"

"I'm filming tomorrow during the day, and the cast is going to for drinks after. But... I haven't really been joining them lately. So maybe if you can sneak into the hotel, I can just stay in for the night?"

"Why didn't you tell me how bad it's gotten, Haz?" I murmured.

"I didn't want you to worry." he sighed, knowing it was useless lying.

"I'll find a way in." I promised. "Even if I have to pull up in a stretch limo and strut in the front door like a fucking peacock. I'll be there when you get back, Haz."

"I'm so far beyond caring how you do it." he whispered. "I just need to hold you."

"You will."

There was a loud pounding and a muffled shout of "Harry! What the hell are you doing?"

"Where are you?" I asked.

A loud giggle burst from him and he muffled it behind his hand, from the sound of it. "I'm hiding in a closet." He whispered around a fit of giggles.

"How fitting." I grinned.

"I should get back." he sighed.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"Music to my ears, love."

"Me too."

We hung up and I leaned my head on my mother's shoulder, turning my focus to the TV where the girls had settled on a Friends rerun.

  
It wasn't long before the front door opened and my sisters returned, accompanied by--

"NIALL!!" I shouted, lunging for my friend. Picture frames fell from the wall as I tackled him against it and slid to the ground, squeezing him harder than ever.

"Lou." He ground out, squashing me in his embrace in return.

"What are you doing here?" I asked pulling away to get a look at him.

"I was just wandering the streets looking for a girls night, when I ran into these lovely ladies." he nodded at my sisters who were grinning down at us, arms laden with grocery bags.

"And you thought you'd watch them carry all those bags by themselves?" I smacked him upside the head and scrambled to my feet to relieve Fizzy from her load.

"No!" Ni laughed, leading to his feet and taking Lottie's bags. "I carried them up the stairs for them and handed them off at the door because I knew I'd end up on the floor the moment I walked through."

"You think so highly of yourself." I scoffed.

"It's all those compliments you're constantly showering me with." He grinned.

"You smell like Feta."

"TAKE THAT BACK!" he gasped.

I pouted and pulled him into another hug, patting his back reassuringly. "I take it back. You smell delightful. Come 'ere." I turned him and pulled out my phone to snap another selfie.

The selfies I was getting today were so much more fun than the ones I'd taken by the pool before I left LA.

  
**Look who dropped in for girls night?**

_Now youre just being cruel._

**< 3**

  
Mum made dinner. Real, home cooked pork chops and mashed potatoes and glazed carrots and a chocolate cake for Lottie's birthday. We sang to her and she opened a couple of presents (screaming out loud when she opened the Ed Sheeran tickets I got her) and then we cuddled up on the couch under blankets and watched _Four Weddings and a Funeral_ and I cried my eyes out into Niall's shoulder while Ernie snored softly against my chest.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's support system arrives at the hospital.

**HARRY**

  
"Harry?"

I looked up to find Johanna's tear-streaked face watching me from the door.

"Mum!" I gasped, lunging for her and wrapping her in a hug. "I'm so sorry!"

"Haz, it's not your fault!"

"I asked him to come, I--"

"No." She cut me off abruptly. "He had it planned. He was coming for you, regardless. Nothing could have stopped him, love. You know that."

My body wracked with sobs and I buried my face in her hair. "I just want him to wake up."

"I know, love... Me too." She whispered.

I pulled back enough to look down into her watery eyes and saw the concern in them. "Are the girls here?" I asked, knowing she wanted a few minutes alone with her son.

"They're in the waiting room with the boys." she nodded.

"I'll give you a minute." I gave her hand one last squeeze and bent to press a kiss to Lou's bruised forehead before heading back out to the waiting room. I hated not being next to him, but if there was anybody I trusted to take care of my husband, it was Johanna Deakin.

"Harry!" Fizzy exclaimed the moment I entered the waiting room. I opened my arms just in time to catch her mid air and cradle her to my chest. Luckily, the Tomlinson clan were all relatively small, since they each made a habit of leaping into my arms.

"It's going to be okay, Fizz." I reassured her, hoping my words would ease my own my nerves as well.

The twins came and hugged me next, then Lottie, holding Doris. I looked around for Ernie and found him cuddled up asleep in Niall's arms and shot him a smile. "Thanks for getting everybody here." I whispered, taking the seat beside him and leaning over to press a kiss to his cheek.

"Don't thank me. I was coming either way, it only seemed right that I bring them with me. They'd still be stuck in security lines if I hadn't."

Liam dropped into the seat beside me and passed me a cup of tea. "Drink this." he ordered.

I sipped obediently and glanced around the room. "Where's Simon?"

"Muttered something about damage control and stormed out just after you went in to see Lou." Liam scoffed.

"When can we see him?" Lottie asked from Niall's other side. She had her head resting on his shoulder and I wondered briefly if he realized how completely besotted she was with him.

"Hopefully soon." I sighed.

"They haven't let me in yet, but they did mention family only, so maybe they'll let the lot of you in soon." Liam wondered aloud. "I'll go check."

We watched him go and his spot was quickly taken by Fizzy.

"Did you really announce to everyone that he's your husband?" she asked quietly.

I didn't remember announcing anything, per se. But I did tell the nurse that I was his husband in the hopes that she let me in to see him. It was probably all over the internet by now. It had been several hours.

"Yeah, I guess, I did."

She held out her phone for me to see and I sighed when I saw the headline on TMZ.

**LARRY IS REAL! STYLES SHOUTS HIS LOVE TO THE WORLD IN HOSPITAL WAITING ROOM!**

"They care that I called him my husband, but they don't care that he's unconscious in a hospital bed right now?" I scoffed.

"Maybe you should ask for prayers for him?" Fizzy suggested.

"Maybe we all should." Niall nodded.

I pulled my phone from my pocket and opened up my Twitter app.

 ** _Harry_Styles:_**  
 ** _I know the internet is breaking with news of my marital status, but right now, my husband @Louis_Tomlinson could really use some prayers for recovery._**  

I refreshed my screen and was bombarded with similar Tweets from the others.

**_NiallOfficial:_ **   
**_Please send prayers for my brother, @Louis_Tomlinson. He's in the hospital right now and could really use some extra love._ **

**_LottieTommo:_ **   
**_Please pray for my brother @Louis_Tomlinson He's been in an accident and could use all the help he can get!_ **

**_FizFizFiz:_ **   
**_Please send a request to the man upstairs for my big brother @Louis_Tomlinson He's in need of some big love today._ **

Liam returned from the nurses station a few moments later and informed us that Louis' siblings could see him two at a time after the doctor checked his vitals next, which would be in another thirty minutes. Then he joined the Twitter game and sent out his own plea for help.

_**Real_Liam_Payne:** _   
_**Please keep our mate @Louis_Tomlinson in your prayers tonight. We're all here for you, bro.** _

Ernie woke up soon after and began crying when he realized he was in an unfamiliar place. He looked around for his mum and cried harder when he didn't spot her.

"Come here, lad." I whispered holding my arms out to him.

"Hazzaaaa!" He whined as he crawled into my arms.

"Shh... I know" I whispered, standing up and bouncing around a bit, hoping to soothe him. "It's okay, love. I promise."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Only a few more hours, love."

**LOUIS**

 

I woke up with a stiff neck from sleeping on the couch and looked round the dim room. It was just before dawn and Phoebe and Daisy were crashed on an air mattress under the TV. Fizzy was on the love seat, long legs dangling over the end, with an arm draped over her face, and the other end of my couch where Niall had slept was vacant. I reached for my phone to text him, wondering if he'd left already, but stopped when I noticed his on the coffee table beside mine. He must be in the bathroom or something.

I couldn't sleep. The jetlag was messing with my internal clock. We were up late watching movies and eating cake and I should have been tired, but I just wasn't. I made my way down the hall, hoping to sneak into Lottie's room and use her bathroom, when I noticed the hallway bathroom was vacant. _Where was Niall?_

I froze when I heard his goofy laugh coming from Lottie's bedroom, followed by her little giggle. Part of me wanted to burst through the door and separate them, shout at Niall to keep his grubby hands off my baby sister! But she wasn't a baby, was she? She was eighteen. She had her own flat and she was building her own career. She was the exact same age I was when I left to be in a boy band. When I fell in love with Harry. She was grown...

I used the loo, then made my way out to the kitchen to make myself a cuppa.

I sat on the end of the couch sipping tea and reached for my phone, only to find a text from Harry.

_If I know you at all, you're up already._

**You know me so well Haz <3**

_How's your tea?_

**Warm and comforting and sweet. :) How are you?**

_Warm and comforting and sweet. Come give me a cuddle. ;)_

**You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to doing just that.**

_I think I do. Only a few more hours, love._

**Can't wait.**

_I've got to get to work. I'll call you when I'm done. Text me when your flight lands please?_

**Course, love. Have a good day.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The song they got away with.

**HARRY**

 

I stared down at the porcelain face on the pillow and sighed. I'd spoken to the doctor when he came to take Lou's vitals. He was doing well, but we wouldn't know the extent of his head trauma until he woke up.

Whatever had happened, wasn't pretty. His face was bruised, his leg was in a cast all the way to his hip, he had four broken ribs, and a nasty lump on his head. But he was a fighter.

"Do you remember the last time Simon tried to separate us?" I asked, tracing patterns in the palm of his hand. "And I wrote you a love song? And then we got away with recording it, putting it on an album, and singing it in front of thousands of screaming fans?"

I let out a small chuckle at the memory. Better than changing the words to Little Things. Better than watching Simon hyperventilate when new Larry Stylinson gossip hit the tabloids. Better than all of it, was knowing that for those the minutes and fifty seconds, we got to be honest. Honest with ourselves, honest with the world.

"If I could fly, I'd be coming right back home to you  
I think I might give up everything, just ask me to."

I sang him the song I wrote for him. I sang quietly, but with more passion than I think I'd ever felt, for anything. Louis was my home. My heart, my love, my best friend. I needed him to wake up so I could tell him that.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis is off to see his husband.

** LOUIS **

 

Breakfast was an extravagant affair that morning. Niall banned me from the kitchen while he helped mum make about a million pancakes with chocolate chips and whipped cream and by the time we all finished, I was stuffed to the gills. As much as I didn't want to leave my family, I needed to see Harry.

"I think you should consider running away more often..." Mum smirked at me over her mug of tea. "I've missed you so much."

"Maybe home to Donny next time?" I lifted an eyebrow in return.

"Maybe your husband could join us?"

"I'd love to." Niall replied with a straight face, tossing an arm round my shoulders.

"Get off!" I whined, shrugging his arm off and shooting him a glare. "You're nothing but a Temporary Fix, Horan!"

The whole table burst into laughter and I stood to clear the table, satisfied that they appreciated my wit and charm for the time being.

  
It was only an hour flight from London to Amsterdam, then another hours drive to the hotel Harry was staying at. He promised he'd have someone pick me up at the airport with a key to his room so I didn't have to stop by the front desk. I just had to make it into the hotel, somehow.

There was only one problem with that. The hotel was surrounded with fans for an entire block.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> #PrayForLouis

**HARRY**

 

I looked up at the sound of hurried footsteps and saw the second most welcome sight of my life, only after Louis himself.

"Mum!" I gasped, leaping from my seat.

"It's okay, sweetheart!" she whispered, pulling me into her chest.

I wished I wasn't such a giant. I wished I was still a child who could sit in my mother's lap and cry until everything was better. I wished she could make this better.

A small hand ran up my back and I knew Gemma was here too. Reaching blindly until she caught my hand, I pulled her round and crushed her to my side.

"Thank you for coming." I whispered.

"We're just sorry we couldn't be here sooner." Mum sniffed.

"How is he?" Gemma asked quietly.

"Hasn't woken up, yet..." I sighed, gesturing for them to take seats with the rest of us. "Jay has the twins in there now. Lottie and Fizzy are next. Then I'm going to try and sneak the boys in."

"Oh my god!" Fizzy exclaimed, drawing all our attention. She looked up at me and passed me her phone.

 _**ZaynMalik:** _  
_**It's my understanding that someone I care about is in the hospital. Please keep @Louis_Tomlinson in your thoughts and prayers.** _

"It doesn't mean anything. He would look like an ass if he didn't say anything while the rest of us are hanging round the waiting room, wouldn't it?"

"Your tweet got deleted." Lottie piped up, staring down at her own phone.

"What did it say?" Gem asked.

"I asked them to pray for my husband." I shrugged.

"It doesn't matter." Lottie shrugged, "It's all over Tumblr already. You literally broke the internet, Haz. #LarryIsReal is trending number two on Twitter, only behind #PrayForLouis."

I pulled out my phone and sent one more tweet.

 _**Harry_Styles:** _  
_**#PrayForLouis Please!** _

The door opened and Harry looked up to find Jay and the twins grinning through their tears.

"He's awake!" Phoebe announced.

"And he's asking for you." Jay smiled.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reunited and it feels so good!

** LOUIS **

 

"Haz..."

"Lou!" Harry rushed to my side and dropped to his knees beside the bed. He gripped my hand tight between both of his and pressed a dozen kisses to my knuckles. "You scared me. Don't ever do that again, Lou. Please!"

"I had to see you." I reached over and ran my free hand through his short hair. I still wasn't used to it, even though I'd seen countless photos. I'd only seen it in person once.

"Not like this." He pled, lifting his face to look at me. His eyes were rimmed with red and tears streaked his usually dimpled cheeks. "Louis..."

"Please, Haz." I breathed shakily, cutting him off. "Just kiss me."

His big hands cupped my face gently and he leaned down to press a soft, lingering kiss to my lips.

"How long have I been here?" I asked once he pulled away and sank into the chair beside me.

"A day." he sighed, pushing his hair off his forehead and shaking his hand through it like he'd always done. "Tell me what happened, Lou. They said you were -- you were beat?" His voice broke on the last word.

"Not really... I don't think it was like that... It was just. They got carried away, you know?"

Harry's eyes widened in understanding. "The fans did this to you?" his eyes skated over my leg in a cast, my bandaged head. I'm sure the doctor I spoke with before he came in explained the broken ribs and the concussion, even though he couldn't see them. "Lou, how?"

"They had your hotel surrounded. I thought I could make it through, I didn't have a choice, really. I thought if I just pulled my hood up and casually walked through the front door it would draw less attention than if I pulled up in a town car out front and got escorted in."

"Oh, Lou..." Harry sighed.

"It worked at first. I got all the way past the crowd and half way up the front steps before someone realized. She grabbed the back of my hood and pulled it off. Everybody screamed and surrounded me, but I was still on those brick steps. I fell and there was a scramble to -- I don't know, get close to me? Help me up? There was a lot going on, so many people grabbing at me. I don't know what happened exactly. Next thing I knew, I woke up here."

"Everybody's out there. Your parents and the girls, the kids, my mum and Gemma, Niall and Liam. They all want to see you."

"Can I just sit here with you for a little bit, first?" I asked, "I just want to enjoy you for a minute."

"Of course you can." he grinned, flipping my hand over in his and resting his cheek in my palm.

"God, I missed these." I whispered, running my thumb over the crater in his cheek.

He laughed and the dimple pressed impossibly deeper. "I love you so much babe."

"I love you more. And I'm so happy you're here, even if I wish we weren't here." I sighed. "Tell me about you. Tell me what I've missed."

"Um... I think Lottie has a crush on Niall..." he began tentatively.

I rolled my eyes. "I think they're fucking. I heard them in her room when everyone else was asleep the other morning."

"Did you say anything?" He asked with wide, amused eyes.

"No. If they haven't told me, I'm going to hope its because I'm wrong."

Harry laughed at my attempt at a menacing tone and kissed my palm.

"There's something else..." Harry began slowly. Even more slowly than usual, that is. "I may have outed us. Simon is trying to cover it up, but I haven't done anything to help."

"What happened?" I asked, unable to hide the sleepy smile that stretched across my lips.

"Simon was trying to get me to leave. I may have caused a bit of a scene brushing him off, and then the nurse wouldn't let Liam in to see you. She said family only. So I told her I was your husband so she'd let me in... And the entire waiting room may have overheard."

I laughed, but he didn't look quite as amused.

"The internet was blowing up over it, there were headlines about me announcing it in a hospital waiting room, but nothing about the reason I was in the waiting room in the first place. So I tweeted that I know the news of my marital status might have broken the internet, but that I'd really appreciate some prayers for husband at the moment, instead."

"You didn't!" I burst out laughing, cringing when my broken ribs rebelled against the movement.

"Shh! Relax!" Harry held his hand gently against my chest in an attempt to stop me moving, but I couldn't stop laughing. "Management already deleted it, but it's all over Tumblr."

"Please can we post a picture? Something they can't delete?" I begged.

"Here," he pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened the tumblr app. HazTom94 was a known Larry Stylinson supporter all over Tumblr, but nobody knew it was actually Harry Styles. He had a couple thousand followers, but just because of the content of his blog. Not because anybody knew who he was. "Scoot over."

I did my best to make room for him and he slid into bed beside me, looping his arm carefully round my shoulders. He held his phone up in front of us and I cringed at the sight of my bruised face.

"Come here, Lou." Harry murmured, gently turning me by the chin so I was facing him. He pressed his lips to mine in a gentle kiss and my hand came up to cup his jaw, just as the click of the shutter went off.

I smiled against his lips and gave him one more peck before turning to look at the picture. My hospital bracelet was clearly visible in the shot, along with my name on it.

I watched as he posted it into a new post on Tumblr and began typing a message.

  
**_Good news! My husband is awake and he's going to be just fine! Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers over the last 24 hours, they've been very much appreciated. However, since it was a crowd of unruly fans who put him in the hospital in the first place, we are kindly asking you all to respect our privacy and to not come searching us out. In return, I promise a livestream explaining our entire relationship and answering all your questions, as soon as Louis is feeling up to it. <3_ **

**_P.S. this is my official Tumblr account._ **

**_Love you all, H+L_ **

  
He posted it to tumblr, then posted a link on his Twitter which I retweeted, and which was quickly retweeted by all my sisters and Gemma. And our mums. And the boys. And Zayn! What?

"He tweeted earlier, asking for prayers or you." Harry explained. "We haven't heard from him, though."

"Probably won't. That was nice of him though. Even if it was for attention." I shrugged.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family only.

**HARRY**

 

There was a knock at the door and we looked up to find Jay standing there surrounded by all her children. I held my arms out for them and they all rushed into the room, quickly surrounding the bed. I took both Doris and Ernie on my lap and warned them to be careful of Louis' injuries before helping them lean over and hug him. The girls each gave him a hug as well and when Jay reached him she pulled us both into a hug, shaking with tears.

"I'm so glad you're okay." She whispered.

"You're not going back to LA, are you?" Daisy asked.

"No." I answered for him. "We're done pretending. You're staying here with me." I told him.

"No, I'm not going back to LA." he assured his sister. "Not without Harry."

"I was thinking, if it's alright with you, Mum," I turned to Jay, "That we might come stay with you for a week or so?"

"Of course it's okay!" She beamed.

"Can you do that?" Lou asked skeptically. "Just take off for a week? They'll be okay with that?"

"Considering the circumstances, I think they'll be plenty okay with it. They have to understand. Plus they'll probably be glad to be rid of me until all of this settles down a bit."

"Okay." Lou agreed with a fond smile. "We'll go home for a week. And then, I'll go wherever you go."

"Where you lead, I will follow." Niall sang from the doorway, drawing all our attention.

"Any--anywhere that you tell me to." Liam picked him with a grin.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" A frustrated nurse came stomping up behind them before we could even respond. "Family only!"

"They are family." Louis insisted. "I want to see them."

I could see the woman's eyes flick round the room before sighing in resignation. "Fine. You can visit, but I'm going to need the rest of you to head on back out to the waiting room. I can only allow two at a time."

"I'm not leaving." I informed her politely, threading my fingers through Lou's on his lap.

"Fine." She sighed heavily. "Two plus the husband."

"Husband." Lou grinned.

"Sounds good, yeah?" I asked, leaning in to peck him on the lips.

"If you're going to start kissing, I don't mind leaving." Lottie smirked.

"Come on, girls." Jay chuckled, "Let's go. We'll have the whole week with them at home. Let's give the boys some time." She retrieved both toddlers from my lap and herded the rest of the clan out the door so that Liam and Nailler could come see Louis.

"So glad you're okay." Liam breathed, pulling him into a gentle hug.

"It's going to be a long few months without footie, innit?" Niall chuckled, patting his cast as he leaned in for a hug of his own.

"Let's talk about something else, shall we?" Lou pouted.

"How about the fact that you came out?" Liam shot us one of those proud father smiles.

"I know we should have talked to the two of you first," I began, "It has the potential to affect--"

"We knew this day would come." Liam cut me off with a wave of dismissal. "We've prepared for it for years. Don't worry about us."

"You're our best friends. We love you. And keeping your secret affected us just as much as this will. We were miserable over it. At least this way you get to be together. That's all that matters." Niall Horan everybody. The greatest person on the planet.

"How did everybody get here?" Lou asked.

"I don't even remember how I got here." I admitted.

"Cheryl heard from Simon, but she wasn't meant to tell me. It just slipped out. I immediately left to pick you up on set and I called Niall on the way." Liam explained to me. "You changed clothes in the car and ran up eight flights of stairs when we arrived."

"Jesus, Haz." Lou shook his head.

"Then I called Lottie and had her meet me at the airport with the family." Niall finished. "Got us a jet and arrived about half an hour after you."

"I'm sorry we ruined your holiday." I told Liam.

Louis gasped and turned to our friend. "You were going to propose! Ah, shit!"

Liam looked supremely uncomfortable for a moment before sighing. "We actually broke up last week."

"What?!" We all exclaimed.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Why didn't you call?"

"It doesn't matter. It just wasn't going to work. We were studying on the phone when she let it slip about Lou." He rolled his eyes. "I wasn't really ready to talk about it yet, but I'm better now. Plus with your news, mine will be inconsequential now!"

Louis reached out and smacked Liam on the arm, but we all laughed anyway.

"Are you really going to do a live stream?" Niall asked.

We nodded.

"Are you really going to answer all their questions?"

I exchanged an amused glace with Lou and shrugged. "Within reason."

"First person to ask who tops and who bottoms is getting royally told off, though." Louis warned.

Liam and Niall shared a look and Liam spoke up. "We'd like to be there for you when you do it, if you want."

"Of course." I nodded.

"Okay, I have to ask." Lou cut in, "What the hell is happening between you and my sister?"


	10. Chapter 10

**LOUIS**

Niall's face drained of color. "Nothing!"

"I heard you in her room the other morning." I argued.

"Nothing is -- I mean. Fuck." He dropped his head into his hands. "I like her. A lot. And we've been hanging out, a bit. But I swear to you I haven't even kissed her yet. I wanted to talk to you first. I was thinking about flying out to visit you next week and talk to you then."

"What do you mean you've been hanging out? How did this all happen?"

"I ran into her at a club a couple weeks ago and I drove her home at the end of the night. She texted me the next day to thank me and we ended up talking. I took her to lunch on her birthday and we planned on watching a movie, but then you showed up and she called to cancel. But I wanted to see you and I figured if it came up I might talk to you about it while you were in town. And then I saw how sad you were and thought I'd leave it for another day." He sighed miserably.

I leaned my head on Harry's shoulder. "You have my permission to ask her out. But just keep in mind she's my little sister and my husband and I will beat your ass if you break her heart."

"Noted." He grinned. "And thank you. Fuck, do you know how stressful it was keeping that from you?" He asked with wide eyes.

I pressed my lips together and shared a glance with Harry. "Yeah, mate, I might have an idea."

Liam smacked Niall upside the head and we all burst into laughter.

My chest felt tight at the prospect of my future... and okay, it might have also been partly because of my broken ribs. But still. We were _out_. No more hiding or sneaking around. No more beards or babies or publicity stunts. We could finally be us and we could finally be married. Happily married.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'll make this feel like home.

**HARRY**

 

Needless to say, management was not happy.

My phone began ringing shortly after the boys left to give my mum and Gemma a chance to see Lou and after the fourth consecutive call, I finally answered.

I cut him off before Simon could say a word, "Listen, my husband was hospitalized trying to to see me. We are done sneaking around. You can deny and delete all the tweets you want, but we're not hiding anymore. The more you resist, the worse it's going to look for you. Now, I'm going to get back to my husband, and you're going to stop calling me."

I hung up and switched my phone off before shoving it into my pocket.

"That was very brave of you." I looked up to find my mum and sister standing in the doorway uncertainly.

"It was." Lou nodded in agreement before holding his arms open in invitation for hugs.

Mum rushed over and curled us both up in a hug, pressing kisses to our faces and doing her best to hold back tears.

"Mum, I'm fine, stop. It's okay." Lou chuckled, wiping her tears.

"You had us all so worried, sweetheart." she sniffed. "I'm just so happy you're okay!"

Gem's hand landed on my shoulder and squeezed and I pulled her roughly into my lap. She curled up on her side against my chest and reached a hand for Louis who threaded his fingers through hers.

"I'm so glad you're okay." she agreed thickly.

"I'm better than okay." Lou grinned. "I'm gay and I'm married to Harry Fucking Styles and the whole world finally knows about it. All this--" he gestured to his bandages and cast "--is completely worth it, if at the end of the day I can stop all the lying."

I wrapped an arm around him and leaned in to press a kiss to his temple. "We're done sneaking around. Regardless of what Modest! does or says, they can't stop this train. Not anymore."

"They never did a very good job of it before." Gemma smirked. "They don't stand a chance now that you're actually working against them."

It was true. For the past five years we'd been forced to hide our relationship, and we'd done so because they'd snuck it into our contract that we couldn't publicly participate in any relationship that might compromise the band. But we'd never tried particularly hard to hide it. We shared heated glances and subtle touches on the red carpet. There were countless photos and videos of us kissing or almost kissing that management had chalked up to Photoshop. There were rumors and theories and fan fictions all over the internet. And that was without any confirmation or denial from Louis or me. There had been tons of denial from management, but nobody trusted them. They had never heard it from our own mouths, and that was something they all noticed.

Our active support of the LBGTQ community didn't exactly help their case any, either.

  
Louis was released the next morning and we had a car pick us up at the ambulance entrance while our families and the boys exited through the front doors. There was a moderate sized crowd of fans and photographers outside the hospital and I didn't want anything to happen to Lou on our way home. We piled all our family into a private jet for the short flight back to London.

The plan was to spend one night at Louis' house there, where there was more than enough room for everybody, before heading our separate ways. The mums made dinner and we laughed and celebrated our newly publicized martial status and Louis' release with champagne and music and love all around.

It was nearly ten o'clock when I noticed Lou yawning and suggested he should get some rest.

"I don't want to leave you." he whispered. "I just got you back."

"I'm not going anywhere." I smiled, pressing a kiss to his lips, before turning to the family. "I need to get this little sleepy head to bed. He's exhausted and I can't have that. We will see you all in the morning." I blew a big kiss to the room as a whole and reached down to scoop my husband up in my arms.

"Haz!" he squealed, looping his arms around my neck. "I'm not a complete invalid!"

"But you are a complete heart throb and I want to take you to bed." I whispered as I carried him up the stairs.

Lou hummed in agreement and leaned his head against my chest.

I laid him down on the bed and dropped a kiss to his nose before helping him out of his joggers and t-shirt and undressing myself.

"Come here." he murmured, pulling me closer, pressing our bodies together in a way we hadn't been in months.

I leaned in to kiss him and was interrupted by a wide yawn.

"Oh, Lou." I chuckled softly. "Get some sleep, love."

"I want you, Haz." He insisted sleepily.

I pushed his hair out of his face and kissed him again, slowly before pulling back. "I know. I want you too, more than anything. But I want you to be awake enough to enjoy it. We have all the time in the world, love. I'm not going anywhere. Get some rest."

  
I woke up to Louis' hand running through my hair and leaned into his touch.

"I miss your curls." he whispered.

"I do too, when you do that." I mumbled, rolling into his side.

"I watched _Four Weddings and a Funeral_ the other night." his voice sounded shaky and I opened my eyes to find him frowning, on the verge of tears.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked, cupping his face between my hands.

"You know the funeral?" he asked quietly. I nodded and he continued. "Nobody knew they were together. They'd been lovers for years. He died and they never got to be married and out and happy."

A single tear rolled down his cheek and I kissed it away. "That won't happen to us." I swore.

"It almost did." he sniffed.

"Lou..."

"No, Haz. It almost happened, and it was my fault."

"It wasn't your--"

"Harry, I watched that movie with the family the other night, and I just couldn't stop thinking about how if something happened to one of us, we'd die with this huge secret. This entire side of ourselves that nobody ever got to know. We would have quite literally taken our secret to the grave and isn't that what Modest! wants? I went to the hotel, even knowing we could get caught, because a part of me hoped we would. This whole trip was because I was sick of lying. Sick of carrying around strangers babies in front of photographers and pretending it was normal when I should have been half way around the world supporting you. Part of me hoped I would get caught walking through the crowd. I was stupid. I should have brought security with me. It was all my fault."

"I thought about meeting you somewhere else." I admitted. "Another hotel or something. But I was sick of the sneaking around too. A huge part of me hoped you'd get photographed sneaking into the hotel or something, so I told you to meet me there. We're both to blame, Lou. If we'd only had the guts to stand up to Management in the first place -- or even the last place -- none of this would have happened. But to be honest, as much as it kills me to see you hurt, and as much as those twenty-four hours waiting for you to wake up were the worst of my life, I'm glad it turned out the way it did. They'll never be able to squash this, Lou. We're free."

He crashed his mouth to mine and pulled me on top of him. I was careful not to hurt his ribs as I straddled his hips and pressed our bodies together intimately. I didn't notice him reaching for the lube until one slick finger found my rosebud and circled it.

"Fuck, Lou!" I gasped. "Yes!"

"I need you, baby." he breathed against my lips.

I dipped my head to his neck and sucked a bruise there as he pumped his finger in and out of me a few times before adding a second. I groaned at the stretched feeling and pressed back on them.

"Haz, love, you're so tight. Fuck, it's been way too long." he panted, twisting and scissoring his fingers until he could add another.

"Now," I moaned as he brushed my prostate. "I need you now Lou!"

I gasped when he removed his fingers and repositioned myself over him. It had been too long. He positioned his slicked up length at my entrance and I took my time impaling myself, moaning his name -- along with who knows what other unintelligible things -- until my bum landed on his hips. A whoosh of air left my mouth and I stayed still, enjoying the feeling of being filled again.

"I can't believe we let them keep us apart so long." I sighed.

"I can't believe you're not moving yet." I opened my eyes to find Lou biting down on his lower lip hard enough I worried he'd draw blood.

Bracing my hands on either side of his head, I lifted myself until he was nearly fully exposed before slamming back down with a loud smack of flesh on flesh. I took advantage of his loud gasp and claimed his mouth, pulling his bitten lip into my mouth as I impaled myself, over and over.

Lou's hands came down on my hips, gripping tight and I knew he was close. It had been too long, we were too tightly wound. It was only a matter of moments before we would explode.

"Come with me, love." I panted, pulling on his lower lip with my teeth. "Now!"

With a grunt and a cry the room was filled with color and light and I collapsed on top of my husband.

Louis' arms wrapped around me, holding me tightly to him. "You're such a gigantic shit." he panted.

I remembered his broken ribs, and quickly tried to move off him, but he held me in place. "No. Stay. I missed this."

"Your ribs--"

"--are going to be fine." he finished for me. "Please."

I settled back down on top of him and pressed a kiss to the bruise that was blossoming on his neck.

"I love you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops they had sex. Finally. Consider this your warning ;)


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> #LarryIsReal

After a big brunch, Anne and Gemma returned home to Holmes Chapel, Niall and Liam returned home to their own lives (Not before Niall gave Lottie a quick kiss, we noticed) and the rest of us drove up to good ol' Donny.

There was no place in the world that felt more like home than my mum's house. The constant noise and the commotion that came with a family of nine, and the palpable love in the air could not be replicated. It also happened to hold more memories than I could count.

The sight of Harry sprawled on the living room floor, laughing and playing blocks with Ernie and Doris made my heart beat faster.

"He's going to make a great father one day." Mum whispered, dropping onto the couch beside me.

"Maybe sooner than we hoped." I grinned.

"Have you guys turned your phones back on yet?" Lottie asked from the other couch.

"No." Harry, chuckled.

"You should. The support you're receiving is amazing."

"We have amazing fans." I shrugged. "We already knew that."

"Not just from them, from the girls you've dated. From other celebrities. From Zayn. From literally everyone. Except Modest!. They've kept silent." she smirked.

I dug my phone out of my pocket with a reluctant sigh and switched it on. Harry leaned back on his elbows on the floor and waited patiently while my phone booted up and I logged on to Twitter.

"Taylor Swift says, 'So glad @Harry_Styles and I can stop pretending we hate each other. That boy is a true gentleman and one of the most genuine people I've ever known. Long live Larry!'" I laughed as I read it and Harry grinned.

"That's a relief."

"Zayn Malik says 'It's been a long road, but it looks like @Harry_Styles and @Louis_Tomlinson are finally headed in the right direction. Congrats, boys.' Still no direct contact from him though." I added with an eye roll. "Eleanor Calder says, 'Congrats to the boys, maybe the world will stop hating me now. I was only doing my job and I hated every minute of it. @Harry_Styles and @Louis_Tomlinson deserve all the happiness in the world!'"

"Danielle posted a picture of her and her boyfriend and said "When is #NationalComingOutDay?" Lottie chuckled.

Harry and I both rolled with laughter at that one. Danielle had started dating a man named Eric shortly after she was signed on to be my girlfriend and hired him as her bodyguard as a cover. He accompanied us on all of our dates and was a really good sport about it all, but I was glad they could stop hiding as well.

"Look at the trends, though!" Fizzy cut in. "Number one: LarryIsReal Number two: BabyGateIsOver Number three: PrayForLouis Number four: WheresThatLiveStream."

I glanced at Harry and shrugged. "I'm ready when you are."

He glanced at his watch and nodded. "Let's do it tomorrow evening. Give them 24 hours notice. The boys have time to make it up here if they want to. Well have time to think about what we want to say."

"Sounds good to me." I nodded, opening up a new Tweet.

_**Louis_Tomlinson** _   
_**#WheresThatLiveStream Tomorrow night, 5PM BST. #LarryIsReal** _

"My Tumblr has reached thirty million followers." Harry deadpanned, tapping at his own phone, now.

"Is that all?" I smirked.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coming out live stream.

**HARRY**

 

"Here goes nothing." Louis muttered as he clicked the button to connect to our live stream. The four of us were squeezed onto the couch with my laptop on the coffee table in front of us, ready to bear or souls to the world.

I threaded my fingers through Lou's and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze as the screen flooded with unintelligible chatter from our over excited fans.

"Hiiii everybody!" I called out. Niall waved adorably beside me and Liam and Lou on my other side said their hellos as well before Louis got down to business.

"We are fully aware that the internet has broken several times over the last couple days, and I know you're screaming right now for so many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that the four of us are sitting on one couch for the first time in about nine months. But I just want to say that we are so thankful you've hung in there and given us these last couple days to ourselves before speaking with all of you."

"We chose to do things this way so we could be in charge of our own narrative." I explained -- grinning when Louis added "For once." -- "And we're so happy to finally answer your questions, but keep in mind we do value privacy in our relationship and we won't be answering anything that we feel crosses the line of decency."

"We've chosen to include these two fantastic boys in our announcement," Lou continued, throwing an arm round lands shoulder, "Because they're the best friends we've ever had. Without them we wouldn't have survived the last five years with our sanity or our relationship in tact. Hiding the way we have -- the sneaking around and lying -- it takes a toll, and these two boys have been there for us through it all. So let me just say thank you to you both."

I threw my arm round Niall and the four of us squeezed together in a clumsy but heartfelt hug.

"So let's get down to it," I began, turning back to the computer screen, "First of all, for anyone who still needs to hear it from the horses mouth, Louis Tomlinson and I got married on the 28th September, 2013." I lifted Lou's hand and showed the camera the tattoo on his knuckles. "Some of you have already guessed that that's what this tattoo symbolizes, and you were correct. You were correct about a lot of our tattoos, to be honest." I smirked.

"Our lives have been a whirlwind over the last six years and we owe everything that has happened to all of us to two groups of people. Firstly, you guys. We've said it a million times, but it'll never be enough. We wouldn't be here if it weren't for our fans and we'll never be able to repay you for all the wonderful memories we've made."

The boys and I nodded in agreement before I continued. "We also, owe everything we have to our management team. Our label. Everyone who -- business-wise -- brought us to this moment. They're the reason it didn't matter that we lost X-Factor. And the reason we sold out stadium tours and broke world records and won awards. And they're also the reason we've been painted the way we have in the media."

"We want to thank our true fans for seeing through the media hype to our true selves. Thank you for seeing past the womanizing douche bag to the sensitive, caring, amazing man that I married." Louis turned to me with that fond smile that had been giffed a zillion times over and squeezed my hand.

"And thank you for seeing through the irresponsible, party animal with an illegitimate child to see the loving, devoted husband who would never in a million years knock up a random he met in a bar."

"Partially, because he likes dick." Niall spoke up. When we all lifted an eyebrow at him he shrugged, "What? Even if you weren't married, you know he wouldn't go anywhere near a uterus."

I pinched the bride of my nose in an attempt to hold back my laughter, but all composure was lost when Louis shrugged, "Fair point."

It took nearly five minutes for the four of us to calm down enough to get back to our broadcast and Louis leaned his head on my shoulder with a content sigh. "Let's take some questions, shall we, love?"

"Remember the decency rule." I pled. "We will not acknowledge anything unsavory."

The questions had been pouring in consistently since we started of course, but we only now began addressing them.

"Obviously the chicken was for Harry." Louis rolled his eyes sassily and I turned my head to press a kiss to his hair. It had been much too long since I'd heard so much sass leave those lips.

"Louis kissed me in Wellington. Full on the mouth. There was high def footage of it but management paid someone off and it disappeared."

"We've had a bet going since Judges Houses." Liam piped in, "We thought they would out themselves years ago."

"Technically they did." Niall leaned forward to remind him. "I won that bet the first time round, remember? But since it wasn't an official 'out' it didn't count." He rolled his eyes. "People still doubted."

"I still paid up though," Liam grinned. "After that, we started playing dirty. We both tried so hard to out them in live interviews and on stage, trying to win every time our bet deadlines were approaching."

"It really was ridiculous." Lou shook his head. "I'm sorry, but how half of you convinced yourselves Larry was a joke, will never make sense to me."

"We had a great PR team." I said with a straight face.

We all waited a beat before doubling over with laughter.

"To be fair, we did have an incredible marketing team this past year, didn't we?" Louis grinned at me.

"Ah, the bears." Niall grinned, causing the feed to absolutely explode with questions about the bears.

"Yes, we were behind them. Yes, we had help. Yes, we kept up with all your master posts dissecting them. And, yes, we contributed screenshots a time or two when it looked like you were having a hard time finding one after deactivation." I summarized the few I'd caught glimpses of.

"And, yes we still have them." Louis laughed. "And yes we can reactivate the accounts."

"We had the idea, met with some marketing professionals who were unaffiliated with our label and worked out the logistics. We coordinated with them throughout the whole campaign." I explained.

"We never dreamed anyone would catch on so quickly, to be honest." Louis laughed.

"Yes the selfies were warnings." I smirked. "That one was all Lou's idea, actually."

"And yes I was actually as miserable as I looked in each one of them." He chuckled humorlessly. "It wasn't like, some grand marketing scheme at first. Not like the bears. The first one, was unplanned. I was up late having a cigarette and genuinely couldn't sleep. I knew the baby news was going to break the next day and I was a mess. I missed Harry, who was in London at the time and we face timed a bit, and then I just randomly posted that picture. I noticed a comment somewhere a few days later mentioning I'd looked miserable for someone who was expecting a child any minute at the time the photo was taken and people were beginning to form theories. I just sort of ran with it after that."

"It was brilliant." I told him for the hundredth time, smiling over at him.

"Why were you sneaking into Harry's hotel the other day?" Niall read from the screen with a cheeky smile.

"Why were you in my sister's room the other day?" He countered with a smirk, only to hear a shriek from upstairs.

"Thanks for that." Niall sighed, running his hand down his face.

"I was sneaking into his hotel because I hadn't seen him in person in two months and I had just come off a staged pap shoot with a staged baby and I had a desperate need to spend even one night with somebody I loved." He explained.

"Remember, mate. He came to me first." Niall grinned, squeezing my shoulder.

"I actually thought you'd be at a golf tourney, Mr. Horan." Lou scoffed. "I came to see my sister and you dropped by out of Devine Intervention."

"Did you two know each other before X-Factor?" Liam read from the screen.

"Yes." We answered together.

"Where did you meet again?"

"In a bathroom..." I grinned.

"At a concert." Louis laughed.

"If I Could Fly was about Louis."

"Home was about Harry."

"So was No Control." I grinned.

"18 was about us as well." Lou grinned.

"Ed outted you nearly as many times as we did." Liam grinned.

"And still, there was doubt." I sighed, leaning my head against the top of Lou's, which still rested on my shoulder.

"Yes, the little one with the cheek bones knows the prince is in love with him." Louis answered softly, bringing my hand up to his lips.


	14. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two weeks later.

**LOUIS**

 

"I'm glad you're okay." Harry whispered for the millionth time.

"I'm glad I'm home." I whispered, snuggling deeper into his arms. "Even if I am on the wrong side of the bed."

"Only for another month." He chuckled.

"Only another month of being carried around by my Prince." I sighed dramatically.

"Quit pretending you don't love it." I could fucking feel his dimples pressed against my forehead.

"They did give me crutches when I left the hospital, I'll have you know."

We'd been back at the set of Dunkirk for a week and still I had yet to touch my crutches. Harry waited on me hand and foot when we were in our room, and when we were on set, he had a personal assistant wait on me hand and foot while I lounged in the chair marked STYLES. He carried me bridal style from the hotel to the car, the car to the set, and back. Every day. Even at the end of the day when he was exhausted and covered in mud and fake blood.

"What's the use in coming out if you still don't want my hands on you every second of the day?" Harry whined.

"Oh, Haz. I want every part of you on every part of me. Every second, of every day." I sighed. "That's all I've ever wanted."

Harry pulled back and frowned down at me, thoughtfully. "There's one other thing you've always wanted, love."

"What's that?" I asked with a little smirk that fell when the next words left his mouth.

"A baby."

"Haz..." I hesitated.

"I know we haven't talked about it in the last year." He rushed on. "Not since That One Night."

" _That One Night_ when we were informed I'd be supposedly fathering a child to a one night stand and we both broke down and trashed a hotel room and threatened to destroy everything they built? _That_ night?" I asked scoffed.

"If I'm honest, sometimes I wish that's exactly what we'd done." He whispered. "Every time a picture of you with a stroller or a tiny little hand or a miniature pair of vans came out, I just... lost it."

"Haz." I frowned, sitting up to look at him and finding him dewy eyed. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it didn't matter at that point." He shrugged. "We'd gone along with it so long, I didn't see the point in throwing it all away until I thought your life was on the line. And even then, I didn't purposely out us, it just slipped out in my panic."

"I know..." I sighed, running a reassuring hand down his chest.

"The point is, every time I saw you pretending to be a dad, part of me softened at the thought, while the other part looked at the miserable expression on your face and just... it wasn't right. You love kids. All kids. And your bloody amazing with them. Watching you with Ernie and Doris? You turn into this enormous ball of love and sunshine. So seeing you with a child and looking like a rain cloud personified, just broke my heart. I want you too have the baby you should have had."

"I want that too." I admitted softly. "I want it to have your green eyes and your dimples. And your curls." I ran my hand through his hair and his eyes slid shut.

"Let's talk to an agency."

I bit my lip and looked down at my beautiful husband. "We're gonna have a baby." I breathed.

"A real one." Haz added with a twinkle in his eye.


End file.
